Star Call: Chronicles of the Hawk

Starcall

The Celestian Empire

The Celestian Empire is second oldest Galactic power after the Terran Confederation. It was founded in the 26th Century when the parliament there was overthrew by a popular revolt that sought to give more power to the king as a way to escape the neoliberal policies that had sunk the world of Kalion into a twelve year economic crisis. The Monarchy actually managed to cease the propriety and funds of many of the world’s richest citizens and close several banks. Bailing the people out of the cycle of debt and gaining the support of the middle and lower class, the King created a new nobility to help rule the country in a model adapted from old kingdoms and empires of Old Terra. After being accused of socialism and then tyranny, the Kingdom actually prospered and in time expanded to include several planets, becoming an empire.

The Old and the New
Despite having Barons, Counts and Dukes, the Celestian Empire is not if not modern. A centre of advanced robotics, the Empire manages to make it’s ‘vintage’ government for based on inherited titles and a modern economy based on high tech production lines and powerful companies. This produces a region in the galaxy that is quite odd in the eyes of the average confederate citizen. Space stations are ruled by Castellans, that in turn are vassals to the Princes that govern each planet. Their advanced battle H.A.R.M.S. (Popularly called Mechas or Mechsuit) are unlocked with DNA, so that only members of noble Houses can pilot them. Starfighters pilots are called ‘Knights’ and have ceremonial swords, yet the Empire has the most advanced set of Antimatter based missiles. Modern banks and shopping malls are decorated with Medieval based Heraldry. Despite all this sounding exotic, it’s how the Empire has worked for the past six centuries and within it’s border’s, no citizen can imagine it working any other way.

The Temples
Psionic gifted citizens in the Empire are strongly encouraged, even if not forced, to join the Temples. The temples are monastery-academies dedicated to both study psionism and also train people with psionic capabilities into how to make best use of them. They aren’t a branch of the military, but they can ‘lend’ psionic assets to the armed forces if needed. Each temple has it’s own rules and traditions, but they all derive from old Chinese monastic tradition of Zen Martial arts temples and Buddhists facilities. Masters of each ‘School’ of psionism instruct students into meditation and focus exercises that help than to develop their abilities further and focus them with more accuracy. In turn, they gather often to discuss their observations with scientists and share their knowledge. This traditions are now already centuries old and very well developed.